Saturday, November 21, 2009

Weekend Cooking: Best Squash Casserole

As adults, my sister and I have taken over the "sides" portion of Thanksgiving at my parents' house. We leave the turkey and dressing to them...and we split up the rest between us. I have my list of standards, but I always throw in one new dish each year, too. So, I hit my cookbook closet for this year's addition.

I collect Junior League cookbooks from across the South, and among my favorites is one from my own city, Tables of Content. It has a recipe for Best Squash Casserole that I have been wanting to try (how can you not, with a name like that?). I gave it a test run last night, and it will definitely make this year's table!

10 yellow squash2 eggs

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix

1 cup shredded mild Cheddar cheese

12 butter crackers, finely crushed

1/2 tsp. garlic salt1/2 tsp. ground pepper

Additional shredded mild Cheddar cheese

8 butter crackers, finely crushed

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Combine the squash with enough water to generously cover in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes or until tender and drain. Let stand until cool and slice. Drain the sliced squash in a colander, pressing with the back of a spoon to extract any remaining moisture. The cooked squash should measure 5 cups.

Beat the eggs in a bowl until blended. Stir in the mayonnaise and salad dressing mix. Fold in the squash, 1 cup cheese, 12 crushed crackers, the garlic salt, and pepper. Spoon the mixture into a 2-quart baking dish and sprinkle with additional cheese and 8 crushed crackers. Bake for 30 minutes.

I like the community or group cookbooks too. It's more like trading recipes with a friend. Your squash recipe looks quite tasty and something different. Hope your feast day is enjoyable for all but especially the cooks.